iPlayer now available on iPhone

The BBC's online on-demand TV service iPlayer is now available to use on Apple's iPhone and iPod touch.

Writing on the BBC blog on Friday, the BBC's head of digital media technologies Anthony Rose said it was a big day for iPlayer as it's the first time the service has been made available for a mobile device.

To use iPlayer on the Apple devices, users simply have to access the iPlayer Web site using their Wi-Fi connection and then stream their chosen BBC programme.

The iPhone's EDGE technology is too slow for streaming videos.

Rose stressed the service has been launched in beta form so if some programmes are missing or there are any other problems, the iPlayer team is working to resolve them.

He added that making iPlayer compatible with devices without Web browsers requires a lot of time and expense, so the BBC is initially focusing on browser-enabled devices, with more becoming compatible in the coming months.

Along with a number of recent improvements, the iPlayer Web site now has a specific section for BBC News content which includes the three main daily news bulletins.